Busquets and Valverde sympathise with Gomes' Barcelona 'hell'

Andre Gomes was "brave" to open up about his problems at Barcelona, according to coach Ernesto Valverde, while Sergio Busquets has sympathised with his team-mate's troubles.

In an extraordinary interview, Gomes told Spanish magazine Panenka he is not enjoying life at Barcelona, where a lack of form has made his life "a kind of hell".

Gomes suggested he has felt unable to leave his house because of feeling unsettled at the LaLiga leaders, with the midfielder having been booed during a win over title rivals Atletico Madrid earlier this month.

Valverde praised Gomes for being honest about his issues on and off the pitch and said the interview would not affect his selection plans.

"It's nothing new in football, this happens a lot," Valverde told a news conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash at home to Chelsea. "It's brave to come out say he is struggling at the moment.

"Whether he'll play or not tomorrow is down to me. He has a lot of qualities and we will get a chance to see them tomorrow.

"It's down to the player to go out there and work hard to show his qualities. It is down to the fans to support him, but he also has to earn that support."